Ignore Those Text Messages Trying to Draft You Into the U.S. Army

U.S. Army Recruiting discredits military draft texts (via Maj. Jessica Rovero/U.S. Army Recruiting Command)

No, the U.S. Army is not trying to draft you via text message.

A number of fraudulent notifications informing folks they’ve been selected for a military draft began circulating the country this week.

Following an influx of phone and email queries about the dodgy dispatches, the Army Recruiting Command on Tuesday published a fraud alert, announcing that “these texts are false and were not initiated by this command or the U.S. Army.”

Please be advised that there are websites claiming to be the Selective Service that charge for registration. You will not be registered and your personal information may be at risk. Official online registration can only be completed at https://t.co/QMUpcL35mW. pic.twitter.com/spcy8a9wwY

— Selective Service (@SSS_gov) January 6, 2020

Even if it wanted to, the Recruiting Command center can’t enact a draft: That’s the job of the Selective Service System, a separate agency outside the Department of Defense.

“The Selective Service System is conducting business as usual,” the official Facebook page said. “In the event that a national emergency necessitates a draft, Congress and the president would need to pass official legislation to authorize a draft.”

The United States abandoned conscription in 1973 under President Nixon; Gerald Ford suspended mandatory draft registration two years later. The military has been an all-volunteer force since.

Former President Jimmy Carter, however, reinstated the requirement in 1980: Males aged 18 to 25 must register with the SSS—just in case we need to reintroduce the draft.

Which, contrary to these phishing text—has not happened (yet).

The messages come amidst a tug of war between Iran and the US, which last week killed Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike near Baghdad.

Some tell the recipient they’ve been “marked eligible” and must come to the nearest Army branch for “immediate departure to Iran.” Others warn that the person will “be fined and sent to jail for minimum 6 years” if they don’t reply.

There is no word yet on who’s sending the texts (signed by the “U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion/Referral Program”), let alone how or why.

“Army security personnel are looking into the origin of the messages,” a spokesperson told The Verge.

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